Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum...

The beauty and joy of life encompasses me everyday. I see beauty when I look in my girlfriend's eyes. I feel it in the breeze during a mild summer day in Wisconsin. I feel it in the quiet stillness of cold winter day that's been greeted with a fresh blanket of snow. I see, feel, and touch beauty all around me. And the perfect soundtrack for this is Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, the fifth studio album from Icelandic quartet Sigur Rós.

Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (translation: With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly) follows up 2005's [i]Takk...[i], but carries a different vibe than all four of their previous albums. It's loose and free, as evidenced by the album's opening track,the cheerful "Gobbledigook," which sounds like a romp through a field on a lazy summer afternoon. "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" begins with vibrant horns and booming drums which pace this upbeat track. One thing worth noting is that this album is very lean; it's not as lengthy as previous efforts, thus making Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust just a bit more accessible.

"Góðan daginn" displays the delicate and pristine vocals of Jón Þór Birgisson. Personally, since I am not fluent in their language, I've always treated Birgisson's voice as another instrument, as his voice is as smooth and soothing as ever. The nearly nine and half minute opus, "Festival," is breathtaking. Paced by organs and a slick frenzy of sped-up drums and strings towards the end, the song is equally muscular and gentle. "Illgresi" is a simple yet calming acoustic ballad, while "Með suð í eyrum" sounds majestic, with swirling piano chords from Kjartan Sveinsson and a steady beat courtesy of Orri Páll Dýrason.

The dreamy interlude "Straumnes" leads up to album closer, "All alright," the first track the band has ever released recorded in English. It's haunting, as a simple piano chord and Birgisson's falsetto faintly hang on. It's chilling, suspenseful, and intimate.

For a band that creates this kind of music, it would be very easy for Sigur Rós to fall into monotony; following the same kind of formula. Thankfully, they've progressed with each album, and Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust is no different, as it takes the band's music into somewhat of a new direction. It begins with sunshine and closes with a sunset. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust features familiar mannerisms while throwing in a few new tricks. It rises, it falls, it clashes, it soothes. Breathe in and take in its beauty, as Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust not only has the potential to be one of the best albums of 2008, it has the potential to be the best album of Sigur Rós' career.